Hand-E-Holder is a handy way to keep hold of an iPad

Tablet computers like Apple’s iPad and RIM's PlayBook might be great in the portability stakes but their handy form factor also means it’s all too easy for them to slip from your fingers and make a beeline for the floor. If you’re lucky the floor is some particularly plush carpet, if not it could be some concrete and your much beloved device ends up sustaining some debilitating injury. A Michigan-based company has come up with a simple piece of kit called the Hand-e-holder that makes it easier to securely hang onto your tablet to avoid such catastrophe.

The Hand-e-holder allows users to rest their tablet device in the palm of their hand by way of an adjustable strap that fits over the hand and easily clicks into place on an adaptor plate. The adapter plate is fixed to the back of the device with 3M’s Dual-Lock fastening material, which, instead of the hook/loop structure of Velcro, uses a mushroom/loop structure that allows it to click into place with a connection that is many times stronger than Velcro. The holder also features a swivel head that allows the attached device to be rotated 360-degrees to switch between portrait and landscape orientation.

While the Hand-e-holder might not be necessary for casual users surfing the web while kicking back on the couch, it could be a godsend in the many workplaces that are adopting tablet computers that sees employees having to cradle such devices for extended periods.

The Hand-e-holder is available now for US$39.99 and the company also offers a variety of stands and clamps that allow users to securely fasten (and easily remove) an iPad-style device just about anywhere. These range from $19.99 to $49.99.

Darren's love of technology started in primary school with a Nintendo Game & Watch Donkey Kong (still functioning) and a Commodore VIC 20 computer (not still functioning). In high school he upgraded to a 286 PC, and he's been following Moore's law ever since. This love of technology continued through a number of university courses and crappy jobs until 2008, when his interests found a home at Gizmag. All articles by Darren Quick